Story 06 — Hokkaido Summer Drive
Driving through Hokkaido in summer.
From the lavender hills, to the Blue Pond, to the sea of Shiretoko after the drift ice has gone. Driving east through summer in Hokkaido.
Photo: Maga-chan / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.1 jp
FURANO — Hokkaido
Purple hills
In July, the hills of Furano are striped with lavender purple. In the distance, the Tokachi mountain range.
Summer in Hokkaido is short. That is why its colours are so deep.
Photo: Syuzo Tsushima from Akita, Japan / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
BIEI — Hokkaido
The Blue Pond
At the foot of Mount Tokachi, a blue surface lined with standing dead trees. The pond's blue changes with the colour of the sky.
SHIRETOKO — Hokkaido
Shiretoko Five Lakes
The Shiretoko range is reflected in lakes within the primeval forest. The road ends here; beyond lies the realm of the wild.
Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.5
Destinations in this story
Places visited in this story
FURANO
FuranoHokkaido · Hokkaido
The Furano Basin, near the centre of Hokkaido, looking out to the Tokachi mountain range. Flower fields spread over the hills of Furano City and Nakafurano Town, and in July lavender turns the slopes purple.
Highlands
BIEI
BieiHokkaido · Hokkaido
Biei Town, Hokkaido. Fields spread like patchwork across gentle hills, and at the foot of Mount Tokachi lies the Shirogane Blue Pond, whose water appears blue.
Highlands / Lakes
SHIRETOKO
ShiretokoHokkaido · Hokkaido
The Shiretoko Peninsula at the eastern tip of Hokkaido. Recognised for an ecosystem in which nutrients carried by drift ice link the sea to the forests and mountains, it was inscribed as a World Natural Heritage site in 2005. The Shiretoko Five Lakes, sheer coastal cliffs and pristine nature home to brown bears and deer remain.
Seas / Forests / Lakes
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